By Mattias Kristiansson
PLM Group 3D Printing marketing manager
After joining PLM Group’s 3D printing division in early March this year, our team has grown rapidly. Today, some nine months later, we have 20 experts from different fields in our team, from application engineers to support technicians all over the Nordics.
I believe this is one of the crucial things you have to look at when you want to partner with a 3D printing solutions provider. One clear trend we’ve seen this year is that 3D printing has taken on a more business critical role in manufacturing and engineering companies. Hence, there’s a growing demand for reliability, maximum uptime and quality support.
Looking at global 3D printing trends this year, we have seen a continued industrialization. Both in terms of optimizing and automating operations, but also in terms of printed volumes. Several of our service bureau customers now have recurring jobs for end-use parts. 3D printing is definitely not just about prototyping these days. Companies are finding more and more usage areas, from the low hanging fruits of jigs and fixtures, to casting moulds and models, replacement parts, and fiber reinforced parts that can replace CNC machined aluminium parts.
So, what’s in store for 2020? Here at PLM Group, we will continue our focus on adding value as a partner. We want to help guide our users with knowledge and support, so that every 3D printing investment adds to the bottom line of their business. For the industry as a whole, we will see even more players and solutions in the field of metal 3D printing. 3D printing systems will be more connected, into ecosystems, with software, printers and postprocessing to support production at scale, or mass production. Software will play a bigger role in 3D printing, with solutions for design, simulation, quality control, and more. We are confident 3D printing will continue to play a crucial role for innovative companies throughout the world.
On behalf of the whole 3D printing team – Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
